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5 Unusual Heartburn Triggers

Heartburn is a hot sensation traveling through your torso and up your esophagus, creating minor to severe chest and/or throat pain. When your esophageal sphincter muscle malfunctions, digestive acid can splash back up your food pipe. You may be familiar with common causes like acidic foods and beverages, spicy dishes, alcohol, and eating before bedtime. Prevacid (Lansoprazole) helps relieve your burning symptoms by preventing acid production in your stomach. Watch out for these five unusual triggers that researchers and doctors have discovered.

1. Smoking

This surprising heartburn source gives you several reasons to quit an unhealthy habit. When tobacco smoke weakens and deteriorates the valve connecting your stomach and esophagus, the backup of digestive juices can cause acute pain. Smoking also reduces your saliva production, which limits its natural acid-fighting bicarbonate supply. If you need help kicking the smoking habit, try over-the-counter treatments like Nicoderm Patches.

2. Exercise

can trigger or exacerbate heartburn, and intensity can worsen your symptoms. Straining while lifting weights or during strenuous cardio exertion may increase abdominal pressure so gastric juice flows the wrong way. Pinpoint and eliminate problematic exercises. Experts endorse yoga, Pilates, and other low-impact activities to improve digestion transit times while minimizing heartburn and constipation. Eat smaller portions and meals, avoid fatty foods, allow time for digestion before exercising, and drink extra sports drinks or water.

3. Mint Flavorings

While peppermint and spearmint may provide upset stomach relief and sweeten your breath, they also can lead to heartburn. Mint-flavored candy, gum, breath mints, foods, tea, and oil can activate and aggravate this painful condition. When mint numbs and relaxes your sphincter too much, stomach acid may travel up into your esophagus. Reducing mint consumption can help. A study found that chewing non-minty gum for half an hour after meals relieved heartburn and provided acid reflux protection.

4. Genetics

Multiple , which are beyond your control, may predispose you to experience heartburn and additional related stomach conditions. Your parents’ diets ― not yours ― might lead to you also having gastroesophageal reflux. Genes account for nearly 45 percent of heartburn cases. Patients’ diets and other habits cause the rest. Learning how to avoid and control symptoms before they start may be helpful if either parent suffered with heartburn struggles.

5. Obesity

Extra pounds and a high body mass index increase your risks for heartburn and related conditions significantly, compared to lean people. Overweight women have a greater heartburn likelihood than their male counterparts. Excess fat in your contains chemicals that flow through your body, possibly causing heartburn. Obese people also are more apt to have poor diets, overindulge in trigger foods, and exercise little or none. Adopting healthy habits to lose weight can help alleviate heartburn symptoms while improving your overall health.